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BeardLib Editor, or BLE for short, is a mod for PAYDAY 2 that adds a fully functional level editor to the game. With it players are able to create their own fully custom missions and levels. Installation is very simple and you can be ready to go in minutes wit...

This is a basic rundown of the functions and capabilities of BeardLib Editor. Everything here is simplified with a basic explanation. More in-depth guides are available on other pages. BeardLib Editor Menu The BeardLib Editor Menu is where you manage your proj...

In the BeardLib Editor menu, navigate to the “Projects” tab and click the “New…” button on the right side of the screen. In the dropdown you can choose between “Map”, “Cloned Map”, and “Empty Map Project”. Map: Will automatically generate a narrative and a le...

You build your level using what’s called “Units”. Basically everything in this game is a unit. From the level architecture to props, equipment, loot, even characters. Spawning You start by navigating to the Spawn Menu and to the “Unit” tab. You can use the sea...

To make your level actually work, you place what’s called “Elements”. They are what most of the level logic consists of. You can compare it to programming, but very much simplified, or visual scripting in other game engines, just directly inside the level itse...

Continents Continents can be compared to layers or groups of units. Every Unit has to be part of a continent, but can be assigned to a different continent at any point. Be aware that the Unit's ID may change when doing this, which could cause issues with Eleme...

What are sequences Many Units have what’s called a Sequence Manager. Sequences are pre-defined instructions on how a Unit can change appearance or behavior. They can simply hide and show parts of the model, change textures or enable their interactions, to play...

The AI moves through the level on what’s called a Nav-Mesh. NPCs (Cops, AI Teammates, Civs) move according to it. The Nav-Mesh is split into “rooms”, the AI then navigates through the level by moving from room to room, attempting to complete their current set ...

The Navigation can be manipulated in several ways while playing. You can set up Navigation Links to add more ways for the NPC to navigate through the level, block entire Navigation Segments or just parts of the mesh. AIGraph Element Using the AIGraph Element, ...

Loading Assets Database BeardLib can load Assets for your level in different ways. Currently the standard is to load assets from database, also known as DB Loading. BeardLib handles this process automatically when spawning a unit and there is next to no other ...

There are lots of ways to Improve performance on your level. For a start you can try to not over-detail your level. Adding lots of detail to make your level look interesting is not a bad thing, but overdoing it, especially in areas it’s not necessary, can back...

An Instance can be seen as a level inside your level. They are very useful if you need to build or script the same thing multiple times. A good example would be a door that can be opened by AI or a power box that can appear in random locations. Since an Insta...

Whisper State determines whether or not your level is in Stealth or Loud mode. It can be toggled using the WhisperState Element. If Whisper state is enabled, your level is in stealth mode. The AI will be idle or do the via SpecialObjective assigned animations ...

Assault waves are largely handled by the game automatically. You only have to set up a few things. First of all you should set up some spawns for the Cops: Place some SpawnEnemyDummy elements around your map, preferably in areas the player can’t see. You can e...

For players and Team-AI to spawn, you need to set up PlayerSpawner Elements. By default a new project already has a PlayerSpawner Element, however you should create at least 3 more so players and AI don't clip into each other when spawning. To set up Player sp...

So called “Harassers” are enemies that are spawned separately from the assault wave, that are used to make specific parts of your level harder, or simply to annoy the players and keep them on their toes. Snipers and hiding cloakers are included here because th...

You can include Captain Winters in your level in just a few steps: First you need to set up the spawn point. Place a SpawnEnemyDummy Element somewhere out of view from the player. Except for lowering the interval, you don’t have to change any setting on the sp...

You can make NPCs walk around the level in stealth mode using SpecialObjective and SpecialObjectiveGroup Elements. Per NPC, you place several SO Elements. They act as check points the AI moves between. A basic setup for your SOs is the following: Enable Repeat...

To have working security cameras in your level, you first need to place the right camera props. The correct Unit you need is called gen_equipment_security_camera. Next you spawn a SecurityCamera Element and connect it to the camera prop with the Camera unit bu...

Mass Units, or brushes, allow you to add more detail to your level with relatively little impact on performance. They are set-up to automatically fade in and out at certain distances. There are lots of different Brushes you can use, from trash and debris, to l...